Lesson 1ª

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Present Simple

In this chapter and in the following chapters, we are going to deepen your knowledge of the German tenses. We will look at the different linguistic functions of each tense.

1. The Present Simple (Präsens)

The most common uses of the present simple are to describe:

a) Current present situations:

What is happening at the moment you are talking. The present used in this sense is usually accompanied by adjectives like jetzt / gerade and determined adverbs like im Moment / im Augenblick.

Example:

Ich bin im Moment in Frankreich.
Right now I'm in France.

These present sentences are often translated using the gerund (something that does not exist in German).

Ich koche gerade.
I'm cooking
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Ich sitze auf dem Sofa.
I'm sitting on the sofa.

b) General and scientific truths, laws, regulations and proverbs.

Examples:

Tansania gehört zu Ostafrika.
Tanzania belongs to Eastern Africa
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Der Mensch braucht Sauerstoff zum Athmen.
Human beings need oxygen to breathe.
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Lügen haben kurze Beine.
Lies have short legs (popular proverb)
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Der Mieter muss die Wohnung in perfektem Zustand hinterlassen.
The tenant should leave the flat in a perfect condition.
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In der Stadt darf man nicht schneller als 50 Stundenkilometer fahren.
You are not allowed to drive faster than 50 km/hour in the city.

c) Events that are regularly repeated.

Examples:

Wir gehen jeden Freitag ins Kino.
Every Friday we go to the cinema

d) Facts that could have started in the past and that continue into the present.

Examples:

Wir warten seit Jahren darauf, dass in diesem Viertel ein Parkhaus gebaut wird.
We have been waiting for years for them to build a car park in this neighbourhood.

e)Headlines.

Examples:

Schneesturm verursacht Chaos.
Snow storm causes chaos.

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Exercises

Translate the following phrases:

(Click inside the box to see the answers; double click to return to the original)